Following on from my review on the w7 In the Nude palette, I thought I'd share a mini makeup haul that I treated myself to - all super budget friendly, so Ladies (and Gents) that means you won't have to worry about spending all your wages on products!
I'm going to use stock photos here for the most part, as my photo taking skills are questionable at best...so let's start!
Firstly, as I'm in Scotland, I decided to take a little trip to my local Watt Brothers store.
For those of you unfamiliar to Watt Brothers - it's a chain of stores up here that offer great products at amazing discounted prices, from makeup, to homeware, clothing etc.
Their makeup section offers products for a range of brands eg. budget brands such a w7, technic etc all the way up to YSL, CK etc.
For this mini haul, I focused on the already budget friendly brands, though with an extra discounted
price!
First up: w7 Light Diffusing Concealer!
Watt Brothers price: £2.99
w7 Website price: £4.95 This is essentially the budget version of YSL Touche Eclat concealer, but without the £25 price tag. (though Watt Brothers has it in stock for around £20)
A handy twist pen design, for easy application. (though I put this on the back on my hand then apply with a brush)
This is a light, smooth concealer that reflects light to illuminate your face, and banishes dark under eye areas.
I tested this out last week for the first time, after previously trying the YSL version a while back - but there's no way I could justify the price tag.
I suffer from pretty dark under eye circles, and found that the w7, budget version to be just as good for making those circles disappear!
For me, I'd also use this as a light highlighter, as it has a lovely dewy effect and isn't as thick & heavy as the concealer I usually wear.
It's absolutely perfect for day to day wear as well, as it doesn't weigh you down.
With a pocket friendly price of £2.99, I've definitely been converted.
Next up: w7 Super Brows pencil
w7 Website price: £4.95 This is essentially the budget version of YSL Touche Eclat concealer, but without the £25 price tag. (though Watt Brothers has it in stock for around £20)
A handy twist pen design, for easy application. (though I put this on the back on my hand then apply with a brush)
This is a light, smooth concealer that reflects light to illuminate your face, and banishes dark under eye areas.
I tested this out last week for the first time, after previously trying the YSL version a while back - but there's no way I could justify the price tag.
I suffer from pretty dark under eye circles, and found that the w7, budget version to be just as good for making those circles disappear!
For me, I'd also use this as a light highlighter, as it has a lovely dewy effect and isn't as thick & heavy as the concealer I usually wear.
It's absolutely perfect for day to day wear as well, as it doesn't weigh you down.
With a pocket friendly price of £2.99, I've definitely been converted.
Next up: w7 Super Brows pencil
Watt Brothers price: £0.99
You can find this online for £1.99- £2.99 roughly.
I'd been searching for a new brow pencil to match my 2015 brown haired look, and came across this on my mini haul trip.
This comes in a couple of shades, and is a soft eyebrow pencil at one side, with a handy brow brush at the other.
What I found with this, on first application, is that it is a soft pencil, and goes on pretty strong. However, you only need a small amount of this, as the super handy brush will blend the pencil along your brows, whilst keeping them in shape.
It may take a little bit to get used to, but I'm pretty happy with this, especially given that it cost me just shy of £1.
It lasts pretty well, and I didn't find any smudging or melting during the course of the day, but then again I don't tend to wear anything apart from my fringe near my brows and don't tend to rub. If you find that you could rub it with hats, or are subject to a lot of heat, then you can easily a thin layer of eyeshadow over the top to give it some extra hold.
As you only need a little bit at a time, it's great value for money since it's also a pretty long pencil!
My only disappointment, is that it doesn't come in many shades, so it's more suited to brunettes/dark haired beauties. (unless of course you're into rocking light/bright hair and dark brows!)
You can find this online for £1.99- £2.99 roughly.
I'd been searching for a new brow pencil to match my 2015 brown haired look, and came across this on my mini haul trip.
This comes in a couple of shades, and is a soft eyebrow pencil at one side, with a handy brow brush at the other.
What I found with this, on first application, is that it is a soft pencil, and goes on pretty strong. However, you only need a small amount of this, as the super handy brush will blend the pencil along your brows, whilst keeping them in shape.
It may take a little bit to get used to, but I'm pretty happy with this, especially given that it cost me just shy of £1.
It lasts pretty well, and I didn't find any smudging or melting during the course of the day, but then again I don't tend to wear anything apart from my fringe near my brows and don't tend to rub. If you find that you could rub it with hats, or are subject to a lot of heat, then you can easily a thin layer of eyeshadow over the top to give it some extra hold.
As you only need a little bit at a time, it's great value for money since it's also a pretty long pencil!
My only disappointment, is that it doesn't come in many shades, so it's more suited to brunettes/dark haired beauties. (unless of course you're into rocking light/bright hair and dark brows!)
Technic Fruity Lip Gloss
Watt Brothers price: £1.99
Online price: I found it on lovethymakeup.com for £1.49, though you have a £2.50 delivery charge, so will have to leave it until you've got a list on things you'd like to make it worth your while ordering from here.
I'm usually quite apprehensive with lip glosses, and tend to try out a good few, as I've found a couple of cheaper brands that can be pretty sticky.
Online price: I found it on lovethymakeup.com for £1.49, though you have a £2.50 delivery charge, so will have to leave it until you've got a list on things you'd like to make it worth your while ordering from here.
I'm usually quite apprehensive with lip glosses, and tend to try out a good few, as I've found a couple of cheaper brands that can be pretty sticky.
However, this one definitely isn't sticky at all. This is a lovely sparkly gloss, that comes in a variety of shades and has a brush pen applicator. (Once again, I tend to put this on the back of my hand, then apply with a lip brush)
This gloss goes on quite nicely, and doesn't smell or taste bad (I'm guilty of licking my lip/hanging my tongue out when I'm concentrating >.<) and gives a nice, girly, plumped up look without being "in your face".
I like to use glosses over a nude lip, for a subtle, glossy, almost English rose effect, or over the top of a matt coloured lipstick to give it some extra oomph!
Royal False Nails:
I like to use glosses over a nude lip, for a subtle, glossy, almost English rose effect, or over the top of a matt coloured lipstick to give it some extra oomph!
Royal False Nails:
Watt brothers price: £2.99
Online price is about the same if you are willing to look around.
This is a bit of a wildcard, in terms of buying the exact same set from Watt Brothers.
I find that they tend to stock a variety of different Royal false nails, and only tend to have a few of each. Every time I pop in, there are always different styles in, so trying to track down the same set twice may require some online hunting!
I use Royal nails quite a lot, and they usually come in some really cute and interesting designs. I had the Mirrorball versions last year, which I really liked too.
They come in a good array of sizes within the pack, which is handy since I have pretty dainty hands and nails. The nail glue that comes with it is also pretty hard wearing, even for someone like me that's quite active.
I picked up these particular ones, as I think they'd be a great base for Hime Gyaru style nails, due to the lovely pink colour and little 3D flower design. When I get round to wearing them, I'll be adding some cute crystals and other nail attachments (can't think of the proper term for this) to create a really standout set of nails.
Here's a couple of photographs of other products that I found in my local Watt Brothers and tend to purchase a lot from them: To see the images bigger, right click and select "open link in new tab/window)
Online price is about the same if you are willing to look around.
This is a bit of a wildcard, in terms of buying the exact same set from Watt Brothers.
I find that they tend to stock a variety of different Royal false nails, and only tend to have a few of each. Every time I pop in, there are always different styles in, so trying to track down the same set twice may require some online hunting!
I use Royal nails quite a lot, and they usually come in some really cute and interesting designs. I had the Mirrorball versions last year, which I really liked too.
They come in a good array of sizes within the pack, which is handy since I have pretty dainty hands and nails. The nail glue that comes with it is also pretty hard wearing, even for someone like me that's quite active.
I picked up these particular ones, as I think they'd be a great base for Hime Gyaru style nails, due to the lovely pink colour and little 3D flower design. When I get round to wearing them, I'll be adding some cute crystals and other nail attachments (can't think of the proper term for this) to create a really standout set of nails.
Here's a couple of photographs of other products that I found in my local Watt Brothers and tend to purchase a lot from them: To see the images bigger, right click and select "open link in new tab/window)
The Technic lashes are also pretty good, they're not too thick on the lash band, and have a good curl so they don't sit flat on your eyes.
I usually swear by Maybelline Colossal Mascara (I've been trying out other brands lately but always go back to Maybelline) usually in other stores they retail at about £8, or there abouts, but Watt Brothers sell them for £4.99, which is a great bargain! I love the length, curl and deep black of Maybellines' Colossal Mascara, and I don't find that it clumps at all which is a major plus.
On the right, you can see the pretty good range of brushes that they stock, though I only took a snapshot of the Royal ones, as these are the ones I buy the most of - look at those prices! Really good bargain for some good quality brushes that do last!
After I left Watt Brothers, I remembered that I was running out of my staple powder and liquid liner. Off to Superdrug I went!
2True Liquid Liner:
I usually swear by Maybelline Colossal Mascara (I've been trying out other brands lately but always go back to Maybelline) usually in other stores they retail at about £8, or there abouts, but Watt Brothers sell them for £4.99, which is a great bargain! I love the length, curl and deep black of Maybellines' Colossal Mascara, and I don't find that it clumps at all which is a major plus.
On the right, you can see the pretty good range of brushes that they stock, though I only took a snapshot of the Royal ones, as these are the ones I buy the most of - look at those prices! Really good bargain for some good quality brushes that do last!
After I left Watt Brothers, I remembered that I was running out of my staple powder and liquid liner. Off to Superdrug I went!
2True Liquid Liner:
Superdrug Price: £1.99 or 3 products for £5
This is my go-to liquid liner! I'm not a massive fan of gel liners, or more brush like liners, as I don't feel I can get as sharp a line as I'd like to with them. (That's personal taste, mind you. Gel liners I find to be more hygienic when you're applying makeup to others instead of just yourself. )
I absolutely adore this liner! It goes on a rich black, dries in no time at all, and lasts the whole day through! The applicator is sturdy and has a good thin tip to allow for fine lines and flicks, which is my daily liner look. Having used a few liquid liners before I discovered 2True, I find that the applicator stays sharp/maintains it's tip for longer than the others I've tried, usually for the length of time it takes me to get through the liner. (previously I tried Collection 2000 & w7 liners, but was never a big fan of either of them for various reasons.)
2True Matt Pressed Powder:
This is my go-to liquid liner! I'm not a massive fan of gel liners, or more brush like liners, as I don't feel I can get as sharp a line as I'd like to with them. (That's personal taste, mind you. Gel liners I find to be more hygienic when you're applying makeup to others instead of just yourself. )
I absolutely adore this liner! It goes on a rich black, dries in no time at all, and lasts the whole day through! The applicator is sturdy and has a good thin tip to allow for fine lines and flicks, which is my daily liner look. Having used a few liquid liners before I discovered 2True, I find that the applicator stays sharp/maintains it's tip for longer than the others I've tried, usually for the length of time it takes me to get through the liner. (previously I tried Collection 2000 & w7 liners, but was never a big fan of either of them for various reasons.)
2True Matt Pressed Powder:
Superdrug Price: £1.99 or 3 products for £5
This is another staple in my makeup kit. This powder is great value for money, comes in the paler shades that I tend to like, and is pretty good wearing for me, despite being under studio lights and having really oily skin in places such as my nose/forehead.
2True White Eyeliner Pencil
2True White Eyeliner Pencil
This is the first time I've used the White liner from 2True, as I've usually bought the slightly cheaper version from MUA at £1.
In saying that, I've always liked the Black liner pencil that 2True has, and the white didn't disappoint me!
Although slightly more expensive that the MUA version (which is also pretty good for the price), it goes on a lot easier and stronger in colour, which means just a simple quick glide on and you're ready to go! A liner that I do tend to use a lot of for adding extra definition under my brows, and for making my eyes look a little bigger.
That was my mini budget friendly product haul!
I really hope is helpful to a lot of you, especially to those who ask and are curious to know which products I buy, and where from! ^_^
Please let me know your thoughts, or any questions in the comments below, and please remember to subscribe to keep up to date with my posts!
Love,
Kasumi x
